This invention relates to an image displaying apparatus for generating index images of a plurality of image data stored in a storage medium and displaying them on a screen of a computer or the like, and an image displaying program product for such an image displaying apparatus.
Conventionally, there have been known an image displaying apparatus for generating index images of a plurality of image data stored in a storage medium such as a hard disk in a computer or an optical disk by reducing the sizes of the respective image data and displaying a list of the generated index images on a screen of the computer, and an image displaying program (the so-called “viewer”, etc.) for such an image displaying apparatus.
When a plurality of index images are displayed in a list format, such image displaying apparatus and image displaying program product generate the respective index images of substantially the same size so as to be accommodated within a section (index image display area) D allotted to display one index image regardless of the original image sizes of the respective images (sizes of the images, e.g., sizes of documents read during the image reading by means of a scanner) as shown in FIG. 18. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 19, the sizes of a plurality of index images to be displayed in a list format are differed depending on the original image sizes, whereby a user can understand the original sizes of the respective images only by seeing the sizes of the respective index images.
However, in the case of displaying the index images in a list format as shown in FIG. 18, the index images are generated to have substantially the same size and displayed in a list format despite the different original image sizes. Thus, the actual sizes of the original images cannot be understood even if the sizes of the respective index images are compared.
Further, in the case of displaying the respective index images while differing the sizes thereof depending on the original image sizes as shown in FIG. 19, a small index image is displayed when the original image size is very small (business card size, etc.) if the size of the index image is decided based on the size frequently used on business such as B5 size or A4 size. Thus, it is difficult for the user to see the content (content of the original image) of the index image. Further, when the original image size is large (A0 size, etc.), the index image cannot be accommodated within the index image display area and, therefore, only a part of the original image can be displayed as an index image. Thus, there are problems that the user cannot understand the content of the entire original image and that the original image size is difficult to understand.